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Definition of Litotes
1. Noun. Understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary). "Saying `I was not a little upset' when you mean `I was very upset' is an example of litotes"
Definition of Litotes
1. n. A diminution or softening of statement for the sake of avoiding censure or increasing the effect by contrast with the moderation shown in the form of expression; as, " a citizen of no mean city," that is, of an illustrious city.
Definition of Litotes
1. Noun. (rhetoric) A figure of speech in which the speaker emphasizes the magnitude of a statement by denying its opposite; a figure of speech in which understatement is used with negation to express a positive attribute; a form of irony ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Litotes
1. a figure of speech in which an assertion is made by the negation of its opposite [n LITOTES] : LITOTIC [adj]
Lexicographical Neighbors of Litotes
Literary usage of Litotes
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Homerica, Emendations and Elucidations of the Odyssey by Thomas Leyden Agar (1908)
"... no mention whatever is made of this : there is no ' soon ' or ' shortly ' or '
presently '. There is only the odd litotes, ineffective and unimpressive, ..."
2. The Might and Mirth of Literature: A Treatise on Figurative Language. In by John Walker Vilant Macbeth (1876)
"litotes, Meiosis, or Lessening, is the figure that naturally finds a place soon
after its ... Hyperbole means less than it says; litotes means more. ..."
3. The Influence of Aeschylus and Euripides on the Structure and Content of by Marion Clyde Wier (1920)
"And later, Some bring flowers and crown These gods and all the lintel, and shed
wine, Fetch sacrifice and slay; for heaven is good. litotes. ..."
4. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage by Inc. Merriam-Webster (1994)
"Kilpatrick 1984, however, notes that litotes can be used to convey subtleties not
... The idea of litotes, the textbooks say, is to get emphasis by means of ..."
5. Elements of Composition and Rhetoric: With Copious Exercises in Both by Virginia Waddy (1889)
"litotes is a form of expression precisely the reverse of hyperbole. It consists
in giving emphasis to an idea by using terms that convey less than the truth ..."
6. Elements and Science of English Versification by William Caswell Jones (1897)
"litotes. A diminution or softening of statement, for the purpose of avoiding
censure, or of expressing more strongly what is intended ; a figure in which ..."
Other Resources:
Ido